Lindsey Nicholls’ mother Judy Peterson (left), and Lindsey’s sister, Kim Nicholls, walk near the newly-placed billboards on the Old Island Highway in Royston, just south of where Lindsey was last seen in 1993. Photo by Erin Haluschak

It’s been 25 years since Lindsey Nicholls disappeared while walking on Royston Road, and her family is hoping a series of billboards around the Comox Valley will trigger new information.

Cpl. Jason Jenkins of the Comox Valley RCMP Major Crime Unit said police continue to work on a conclusion to the file.

“Our investigation has taken us over those past 25 years over almost 400 tips, we’ve excavated three different sites, had persons of interest spoken to and over 15 polygraph examinations, and we continue to work in this active investigation with an end to find out what happened to Lindsey,” he said Thursday.

“The difficult part is keeping this message alive in the community to say we want more information … we believe someone knows something, and we’d like those people to come forward as soon as possible.”

Nicholls was last seen on Royston Road on the BC Day long weekend in 1993. She had walked away from a foster home with the intent to meet friends at Nautical Days in Comox, he added.

Nicholls’ mother, Judy Peterson, explained the family wanted to not only mark the significant 25-year anniversary, but also bring awareness to the community by placing two sets of three billboards – one on Comox (Dyke) Road and one just south of where Nicholls was seen in Royston.

“It’s unsolved and we don’t know what happened to her, and our family really needs to know,” she said. “She literally vanished. We don’t know what happened … any thought or glimmer that (someone) might know something about it – even if it’s one small piece of information, or that they just have a feeling about somebody – absolutely, just call it in and it will be investigated.

“(Lindsey) will be 40 in September … we should be planning her 40th birthday instead of doing the three billboards.”

Kim Nicholls, Lindsey’s younger sister, said it’s difficult for people to understand the impact her disappearance has had on her family. She hopes the passing of 25 years could trigger someone to step forward with information.

“As I was driving up here today, I just [envisioned] the people who might have known something could have been around Lindsey’s age – 14, 15, 17. They were teenagers and maybe were scared of getting caught or getting in trouble, but that was 25 years ago. I would imagine those little teenagers … now have their own families and things might be different now, where they maybe are a bit more empathetic to our situation.”

She recalls going to Lindsey’s soccer and baseball practices and admitted it has been really hard not having her around for both big and small events in her life, including her wedding and the birth of her son.

“[It’s] hard for me [because] she was just a teenager going through some tough times, and we have such a loving family that it’s hard for me to picture her running away from it.”

Nicholls was last seen wearing blue jeans, a khaki tank top and white canvas shoes.

Anyone with information regarding her disappearance is asked to contact the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.